Method and system for termination blocking of message delivery service

ABSTRACT

A method ( 20 ) and system ( 50 ) is provided that permits a telephone caller to leave a message for a called party that does not have a conventional answering service, such as voice mail, an answering machine, a third-party operator-assisted answering service, or the like. A configurable blocking mechanism is also provided, permitting parties to prevent the message delivery service from being offered to callers attempting to reach them. The method ( 20 ) and system ( 50 ) can be implemented using an advanced intelligent network (AIN). In an AIN environment, the blocking mechanism can include a switch control point (SCP) ( 58 ) configured to access a termination blocking list ( 60 ). The termination blocking list ( 60 ) can be an SCP database file containing entries representing called parties who have blocked the message delivery service.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to telecommunications,and in particular, to messaging services in a telephone system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Convenience continues to be a predominant trend in today'ssociety. With answering machines, voice mail and other messagingservices becoming increasingly common, many callers find it frustratingto receive no answer. This situation arises when a caller attempts toreach a party that does not have an answering machine, voice mail or anyother messaging service. Accordingly, there is a need for a messagedelivery service that enables a caller to benefit from the convenienceof being able to leave a message even when the called party does nothave a system automatically answering their phone. However, such aservice should allow for called parties who insist on not receivingtelephonic messages, to block the service, preventing messages frombeing delivered to their extension(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The invention is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features of the invention will become moreapparent, and the invention will be best understood by referring to thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

[0004]FIG. 1 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of operating amessage delivery service in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0005]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications systemin accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0006]FIG. 3 shows an event diagram depicting caller invocation of themessage delivery service available from the system of FIG. 2;

[0007]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart diagram illustrating the operation of theoriginating service switching point (SSP) of FIG. 2 in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

[0008] FIGS. 5-7 show a flowchart diagram illustrating a method ofoperating the originating service control point (SCP) of FIG. 2 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0009]FIG. 8 shows a flowchart diagram illustrating a method ofoperating the service node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) of FIG. 2 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The present invention relates to an improved message deliveryservice that records a caller's message for subsequent delivery to acalled party. The service includes, among other things, a blockingmechanism that can be configured at the request of the called party toprevent activation of the message delivery service. This feature isadvantageous in that it provides subscribers the option of not receivingincoming calls from an automated message delivery system.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an advancedintelligent network (AIN) is configured to provide aselectively-enableable message service for delivering caller informationto a called party subsequent to an originating call. The messagingservice is capable of collecting and recording the caller informationduring the originating call and then placing one or more calls to thecalled party at successive intervals to deliver the caller information.

[0012] A blocking mechanism permits the called party to disable themessaging service so that it is not made available to the caller duringthe originating call. The blocking mechanism can be included in any ofthe elements of the AIN, or alternatively, it can be provided as aseparate device, such as a conventional central office switch orcommunication serve connected thereto, operating in conjunction with theAIN.

[0013] Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, thereis illustrated a flowchart diagram describing the operation of a messagedelivery service in a telecommunications system that accords with anembodiment of the present invention. In step 22, a caller places a callto the called party. Upon detecting a no-answer condition (step 24), atermination blocking list is accessed (step 26). A no-answer conditionexists when a call has rung for a predetermined time without the calledparty answering. The termination blocking list can be a database fileincluded in the blocking mechanism. The list can include caller-IDs, thenames, numbers, or any other type of information for identifying calledparties that do not wish to receive messages generated by the deliveryservice.

[0014] Accordingly, while the call is in progress, a check is made todetermine whether or not the called party is included in the terminationblocking list (step 28). If the called party is identified in the list,the message delivery service is blocked, i.e., it is not offered to thecalling party. In this circumstance, the call simply continues ringingthe called party, without the service being offered (step 30) until thecaller hangs up (step 32) or the call is otherwise terminated. However,if the called party is not identified by the blocking list, the deliveryservice provides the caller the option of recording a message (step 34).

[0015] If the caller selects the service, a message is recorded andstored. After the message is recorded, the caller is disconnected (step36). The service then automatically places one or more calls to thecalled party at predetermined intervals (step 38) to deliver themessage. During each call, a check is made to determine whether thecalled party answers (step 40). If the party answers, the recordedmessage is played back (step 44). However, if after a predeterminednumber of attempts, the called party fails to answer the calls placed bythe messaging service, the service deletes the stored message (step 42).

[0016] Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a telecommunicationssystem 50 providing an exemplary embodiment that accords with thepresent invention. The system 50 can include an advanced intelligentnetwork (AIN) including an originating service switching point (SSP) 54,an originating service control point (SCP) 58, a servicenode/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) 56, a termination blocking list 60,a signal transfer point (STP) 59, a service management system (SMS) 62,and a termination SSP 64. A caller customer premises equipment (CPE) 52,such as a telephone or the like, can communicate with the originatingSSP 54, using any suitable interface, including a local loop,conventional analog, or alternatively, a digital communication link,such as an integrated service digital network (ISDN) interface. A calledparty CPE 66 such as a telephone or the like, communicates with thetermination SSP 64 using a suitable interface, such as those listedabove for the caller CPE 52.

[0017] The AIN architecture can be implemented with common channelSignalling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol. An SS7 network includes variouspacket switching elements and transmission links, some of which areshown in the system 50. For instance, the SMS 62 generally includes acomputer-based system used to design service logic, to control logicimplementation on the system 50, and to manage system operation, such asmonitoring traffic levels, collecting statistics and billing data, andproviding a mechanism for updating the AIN according to subscriberservice orders. Although not so limited, the SMS 62 can be implementedby a computer workstation, such as an HP9000 from Hewlett-Packard,running commercially available SMS software.

[0018] The SCP 58 can be a commercially-available AIN node whichcontains the service logic and associated data support to execute therequired customer services. For example, the SCP 58 can be implementedusing an SCP Model 1 or Model 2, available from Lucent Technologies,Inc.

[0019] As is known in the art, the STP 59 can be a packet switch used toroute signalling messages within the network.

[0020] The SSPs 54, 64 can be commercially-available AIN nodes used aslocal or central office switches sometimes also referred to as anend-office, which recognize “triggers” generated when a call invokes anAIN service. As is known in the art, standard triggers are provided withcommercially-available SSPs, as well as proprietary triggers that areavailable with and well documented for specific SSPs. Generally, upondetecting a trigger, an SSP communicates with its SCP to operate theinvoked service.

[0021] The functionality of the originating and termination SSPs 54, 64as disclosed herein can be implemented using a 5ESS switch, with generic5E11 update or better, available from Lucent Technologies, Inc.

[0022] The termination blocking list 60 can be a database filecontaining information (such as a party's name and number), foridentifying parties that do not want the messaging service to deliverinformation to them. If a party has entered into the terminationblocking list 60, the messaging service will be blocked, and the callerwill not be given the option to invoke the service. The terminationblocking list 60 can be updated to include or delete a party's entrytherein. This can be accomplished by the party submitting a serviceorder to the SMS 62, which in turn, sends a message to the SCP 58causing a service logic thereof to modify the termination blocking list.The SMS 62 can include a standard software interface configured topermit an operator to manually enter a service request generated by aparty to create a service order.

[0023] The SN/IP 56 can be a computer or communication server linked viaan open interface to the originating SSP 54. In the example shown, theSSP 54 and the SN/IP 56 communicate via an integrated services digitalnetwork (ISDN) connection. The ISDN link can be implemented using eitherISDN-BRI (basic rate interface) or ISDN-PRI (primary rate interface)protocols, which are known in the art.

[0024] It is not necessary to have SN/IP 56 directly connected to theoriginating SSP 54. The SN/IP 56 can be alternatively connected toanother SSP or an end office (EO) (not shown) that is in communicationwith the originating SSP 54. In this arrangement, calls are connected tothe SN/IP by routing them through the other SSP or EO hosting the SN/IP.

[0025] The SN/IP 56 contains and manages resources required to offerservices and service enhancements to network users. Generally, the SN/IP56 may be used to combine advanced speech technologies and computertelephony integration (CTI) capabilities in a single platform that canbe used as a network resource. The services provided by the SN/IP 24 caninclude voice or fax store and forward, dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF)recognition with external telephony resources, text-to-speech synthesis,and the like. A compact service node (CSN) as manufactured by LucentTechnologies, Inc., can be used to provide the functionalities of theSN/IP 56 disclosed herein.

[0026]FIG. 3 shows an event diagram 70 depicting the invocation of themessage delivery service in the AIN of FIG. 2. Initially, the callingparty (party A) calls the called party (party B) (Event 1). The call isplaced from the caller unit 52, and received by the originating SSP 54,which routes the call to the termination SSP 64. After connecting thecall, a no-answer office trigger is generated by the originating SSP 54upon party B's failure to answer after a predetermined, programmableinterval has elapsed. The originating SSP 54 includes a timer (notshown) for determining elapsed time. Upon detecting the no-answertrigger, the originating SSP 54 queries the SCP 58. The query can besent to the SCP 58 using a conventional SS7 protocol. In response to thequery, the SCP 58 screens the call to determine whether the messagedelivery service is available to party A. The screening is accomplishedby comparing caller information and/or called party information topredetermined criteria, such as lists of restricted prefixes, non-LATAcallers, and the like. The caller/called party information can beprovided with the query message. If the service is available, the SCP 58notifies the SSP 54, causing the SSP 54 to generate an announcement toparty A offering the message delivery service.

[0027] Party A's response to this offer is passed from the SSP 54 to theSCP 58, which then determines whether or not party A has selected todeliver a message. If party A has selected the service, the SCP 58 sendsan analyze-route message to the SSP 54, where the analyze route messageincludes a called number parameter sent to the number of the SN/IP 56.Upon receiving the analyze-route message, the SSP 54 connects the callSN/IP 56, which can play a series of announcements to party A andcollect and record caller information. The caller information caninclude the caller's name and phone number. After the call hasterminated, the SN/IP 56 places successive calls to party B via thetermination SSP 64 until the party B answers or a predetermined maximumnumber of attempts is exceeded. If party B answers any of these calls,the recorded message is delivered by playing it back to party B.

[0028]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart diagram of a method 80 of operating theoriginating SSP 54 shown in FIG. 2. In step 82, the SSP 54 detects anoff-hook condition generated by the caller CPE 52. In response to theoff-hook condition, the SSP 54 provides a dial tone (step 84) to thecaller CPE 52. After receiving a dialed number, the SSP 54 routes thecall to the called parties premise equipment 66 (step 86). After thecall has been allowed to ring for a predetermined time without answer, ano-answer trigger is encountered by the SSP 54 (step 88). In response tothe no-answer trigger, the SSP 54 transmits a no-answer query to the SCP58 (step 90). The no-answer query can include caller and called party'sinformation. The SCP 58 then screens the call according to predeterminedcriteria and then provides a response to the SSP 54. Details of thescreening criteria are provided below with reference to FIGS. 5-7.Referring back to FIG. 4, in step 92, the SSP 54 receives the SCPresponse. If the SCP 58 responds with a continue message, the messagingservice is not invoked and the SSP 54 continues ringing the called party(step 94) until the caller hangs up or the called party answers (step96).

[0029] However, if the SCP 58 transmits a send-to-resource message tothe SSP 54, the messaging service will be offered to the called party.In this case, the SSP 54 plays an announcement to the caller giving thecaller the option to select the messaging service (step 100). In step102, the SSP 54 collects the digits entered by the caller in response tothe announcement and sends them to the SCP 58 to be analyzed. The SCP 58compares the caller digits to predetermined criteria to determinewhether the caller has selected the service. If the caller selects theservice, the SCP transmits an analyze-route message to the SSP 54;otherwise, if the caller has not selected the service, the SCP 58transmits a continue message (step 104). If the SSP 54 receives thecontinue message, the service is not offered and the SSP 54 continues toring the called party (step 94) until the caller hangs up or the calledparty answers (step 96). However, upon receiving an analyze-routemessage, the SSP 54 attempts to connect the caller to SN/IP 56 (step106).

[0030] FIGS. 5-7 show a flowchart illustrating a method 120 of operatingthe originating SCP 58 shown in FIG. 2. The primary functions of the SCP58 are to control the service and to screen the calls by comparingincoming caller/called party information to the predetermined criteria.To provide the message delivery service, the SCP 58 communicates withthe SSP 54 and provides control information for successfully routing theoriginating call. To provide the message delivery service, operation ofthe SCP 58 commences upon receiving a no-answer query from the SSP 54(step 122). Upon receiving this query, the SCP 58 accesses thetermination blocking list 60 (step 124). As described above, thetermination blocking list 60 can be a database file containinginformation for identifying parties that do not want the messagingservice to deliver caller information to them.

[0031] After accessing the termination blocking list 60, the SCP 58determines whether the message delivery service has been blocked by thecalled party (step 126). If so, the SCP 58 outputs a continue message tothe SSP 54, causing the SSP 54 to continue ringing the called partywithout offering the service. However, if the service is not blocked bythe termination blocking list, the method 120 proceeds to step 128.

[0032] The remaining screening criteria discussed in reference to steps128-138 are not exhaustive, representing examples of possible criteriathat can be used in conjunction with the termination blocking list 60.In step 128, a check is made to determine whether the identity of thecalling party is equal to that of the called party. If so, the SCP 58generates the continue message step 148 and the service is not offered.Otherwise, the SCP 58 continues its screening process by comparing thecall to additional criteria. In step 130, a check is made to determinewhether the caller and the called party reside within the same localaccess and transport area (LATA). If not, the SCP 58 outputs a continuemessage to the SSP 54. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 132, wherethe area code of the called party is checked to determine whether it isrestricted from using the messaging service. A list of excluded areacodes can include toll-free numbers, such as 800 and 888 numbers, aswell as toll numbers, such as 900 and 976 area codes. The SCP 58 can beconfigured to prohibit the message delivery service from anypredetermined area code.

[0033] Next, in step 134 a check is made to determine whether or not thecalled party phone number includes the correct number of digits. Forexample, the correct number of digits in a phone number is typically tenor seven. If the correct number of digits is not present, the SCP 58generates a continue message and the service is not offered (step 148).Otherwise, the SCP 58 continues its comparisons and determines whetherthe called party's caller-ID has been blocked, restricting presentationthereof (step 136). If so, the message delivery service is not offeredand the SCP 58 generates a continue message (step 148). Next, in step138 the SCP 58 checks an origination blocking list to determine whetheror not the caller is prohibited from accessing the message deliveryservice. The origination blocking list can have a function analogous tothat of the termination blocking list, in that it prevents the messagedelivery service from being offered to predetermined callers. However,the two blocking lists differ in that the origination blocking listcontains entries identifying calling parties, while the terminationblocking list contains entries identifying called parties. Accordingly,if the caller is identified in the origination blocking list, the SCP 58generates a continue message (step 148) and the caller is denied accessto the delivery service.

[0034] If the call satisfies all of the predetermined criteria utilizedby the SCP 58, the SCP 58 outputs a send-to-resource message to the SSP54 (step 140). This message causes the SSP 54 to present the messagingservice announcement to the caller. The SCP 58 then waits until itreceives a resource-clear message containing the callers response (step142). In step 144, a check is made to determine whether theresource-clear message indicates that the call was answered orabandoned. If so, the SCP 58 terminates its actions regarding themessage delivery service. If not, a check is made by the SCP 58 todetermine whether the caller has selected the message delivering service(step 146). If not, the SCP 58 outputs the continue message (step 148).If so, the SCP 58 outputs an analyze-route message, causing the SSP 54to connect the call to the SN/IP 56 (step 150).

[0035]FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 170 of operatingthe SN/IP 56 to provide the message delivery service. Under the deliveryservice, the SN/IP 56 commences operation when the SSP 54 connects thecall thereto (step 172). After receiving a call from the SSP 54, theSN/IP 56 plays an audible service announcement describing the messagedelivery service and providing a number of options to the caller, suchas message playback, editing, or deletion.

[0036] In step 176, the SN/IP 56 records and stores the caller'smessage. The message can include the caller's name and number as spokenby the caller. Alternatively, the recorded message can include caller-IDinformation automatically provided to the SN/IP 56 by the SSP 54. Thisinformation can be provided to a text-to-speech synthesizer (not shown)within the SN/IP 56 for audible delivery to the called party at a latertime.

[0037] After the message is recorded, the caller is disconnected fromthe AIN (step 178). After the caller has been disconnected, the SN/IP 56can set software variables representing a start time and a call count.These variables are used to determine the interval between calls placedby the SN/IP 56 to the called party and the number of attempts by theSN/IP 56 to reach the called party. In step 182, a check is made todetermine whether the difference between the current time and the starttime is equal to a predetermined interval defining the period betweensuccessive calls made by the SN/IP 56 to the called party. The currenttime can be provided by a conventional system clock provided within theSN/IP 56. If the interval has not elapsed, the message delivery serviceenters a temporary wait state (step 184) and then repeats the check ofwhether the interval has elapsed. After the interval has elapsed, thecall count is compared to a predetermined maximum call count. Themaximum call count can be a programmable software variable indicatingthe maximum number of attempts by the SN/IP 56 to successfully completea call to the called party. In the example shown, if the call count isequal to the maximum count, the SN/IP 56 has failed to deliver thestored message and, in turn, deletes the message (step 188). However, ifthe call count has not exceeded the maximum count, the SN/IP 56 placesthe message delivery call to the called party (step 190). The SN/IP 56monitors the call to determine whether or not called party answers (step192). If the party answers, the stored message is played back to thecalled party. The SN/IP 56 can be configured to provide playback optionsto the called party, such as playback repeat, message forwarding,message archiving, or the like. However, if the called party does notanswer, the call count variable is incremented and a new successiveinterval is commenced and the method 170 returns to step 182.

[0038] The AIN elements, such as the SSP 54, the SCP 58, and the SN/IP56, can be configured to accept an article of manufacture, such as acomputer-readable medium that contains software components in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. In sum, there has beendisclosed herein a system and method that permits a telephonic messagedelivery service to be blocked by a called party. Because the system andmethod as disclosed herein can utilize a termination blocking list, itcan permit a party to conveniently and transparently disable theservice.

[0039] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is tobe understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedabove.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for blocking a message delivery servicethat records a caller's message for subsequent delivery to a calledparty, the method comprising: receiving a call from a caller to a calledparty; determining if the called party is included in a blocking listthat identifies a plurality of called parties who do not want a messagedelivery service to deliver caller messages to them; and if the calledparty is included in the blocking list, preventing the message deliveryservice from being offered to the caller.
 2. The invention of claim 1further comprising: if the called party is not included in the blockinglist, offering the message delivery service to the caller.
 3. Theinvention of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a request from thecalled party to be included in the blocking list; and adding the calledparty to the blocking list.
 4. The invention of claim 3, wherein aservice management system adds the called party to the blocking list. 5.The invention of claim 1, where in the act of determining is performedif the called party has not answered the call after a predeterminedtime.
 6. The invention of claim 1, wherein the blocking list comprisescaller-ID information of the called parties.
 7. The invention of claim1, wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties. 8.The invention of claim 1, wherein the blocking list comprises numbers ofthe called parties.
 9. The invention of claim 1, wherein a servicecontrol point performs the determining and preventing acts.
 10. A methodfor blocking a message delivery service comprising: providing a messagedelivery service that records caller information during a call from acaller to a called party and subsequently delivers the callerinformation to the called party by placing a call to the called partyfollowing the call from the caller to the called party; and providing ablocking list identifying a plurality of called parties who do not wantthe message delivery service to deliver caller messages to them; whereinthe message delivery service is not offered to callers calling calledparties included on the blocking list.
 11. The invention of claim 10further comprising: receiving a request from a party to be included inthe blocking list; and adding the party to the blocking list.
 12. Theinvention of claim 10, wherein the blocking list comprises caller-IDinformation of the called parties.
 13. The invention of claim 10,wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties.
 14. Theinvention of claim 10, wherein the blocking list comprises numbers ofthe called parties.
 15. A telecommunication system comprising: ablocking list identifying a plurality of called parties who do not wanta message delivery service to deliver caller messages to them; and aprocessor in communication with the blocking list, the processorproviding a message delivery service that records a message from acaller to a called party and subsequently delivers the message to thecalled party if the called party is not identified in the blocking list.16. The invention of claim 15, wherein the processor comprises a servicecontrol point.
 17. The invention of claim 15 further comprising aservice management system operative to add a party to the blocking list.18. The invention of claim 15, wherein the blocking list comprisescaller-ID information of the called parties.
 19. The invention of claim15, wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties. 20.The invention of claim 15, wherein the blocking list comprises numbersof the called parties.